1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skiing facilities that can provide abundant variations in the shape of the surface of ski slope by mechanically changing a part of the ski slope in various kinds of patterns.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, natural skiing facilities where skiers and snow boarders share use of the ski slope are becoming commonplace. Normally, at natural skiing facilities, the course for a ski run is divided into advanced, intermediate, and elementary courses, and the skiers and snow boarders can ski in accordance with their desirable skill levels. Natural skiing facilities where the ski slope is fully dedicated to use by either snow boarders or skiers have also become common. For example, on a ski slope dedicated to snow boarder use, shapes such as a half pipe, a table top, and the like, which are unique to the snow board, are provided. Also, there is a ski slope designed for exclusive use by skiers and snowboarders that includes use of one or more moguls where a plurality of projections and depressions (bumps) is formed on the ski slope.
However, we have never seen such abundant variations in ski slope topology or configuration at indoor skiing facilities using artificial snow.
Indoor skiing facilities are normally structured in such a manner that an artificial snow layer is formed on a roadbed floored by a copper plate and the like, forming a gentle slope that has no bumps and little variations. For this reason, since the gentle slope at indoor skiing facilities provides little variation and hence, the skiers and snow boarders are merely skiing downhill on the slope, these facilities are found to be lacking in interest and fun.
In order to solve such a problem, we proposed a technique in which the skew angle of the ski slope at the skiing facilities is changeable. For example, Japanese published unexamined patent application Hei 4-135580 shows skiing facilities in which the floor of the ski slope is made movable so that the skew angle of the overall ski slope can be changed.
This structure, however, cannot partially change the skew of the ski slope, with the result that the bumps, the half top, and the like cannot be formed. Accordingly, this method and apparatus fails to provide the ski slope patterns that meet various skill levels of neither skiers nor snowboarders.
Moreover, Japanese published unexamined patent application Sho 52-270181 shows a method for configuring indoor ski slopes wherein artificial turfs are provided on the roadbed and a mat having numerous water boxes on its both front and back faces is provided at a gap between the roadbed and turfs and water injected into the wafer boxes is frozen and expanded, whereby forming bumps on the surface of the ski slope.
This method, however, forms only simple bumps, and there is difficulty in forming a complicated shape such as a half pipe and the like. Since the skew angle of the ski slope itself is unchanged even if the pumps are formed on the surface thereof, the slope for a ski run is still gentle, and hence, unchallenging to skiers or snowboarders of more advanced skill levels. In other words, this method makes it possible to satisfy preferences of some skiers. However, there is difficulty in satisfying preferences of the snowboarders and intermediate and advance level skiers at the same ski slope concurrently.
Still moreover, the another method can be considered wherein the amount of artificial snow is partially changed by a snowmaker to form projections and depressions on the ski slope.
However, according to this method, much time and cost are needed to form a complicated shape using only the snowmaker. Since the skew angle of the ski slope itself cannot be changed similar to the aforementioned method, there is a limitation in variations of the ski slope that can be provided.
None of these cited methods give satisfactory results in developing indoor ski slopes for variable skill levels. They are also inapplicable for use by both skiers and snowboarders.
Thus, it appears that no indoor ski slope methods or assemblies of the prior art can be used for developing ski slopes for use by skiers and snowboarders of a wide variety of skill level.
The present invention provides assemblies and methods for providing indoor skiing facilities, which may be effectively utilized by both skiers and snowboarders of different skill levels.
One object of the invention is to overcome the lack of efficacy of existing indoor skiing facilities by providing a ski slope with abundant variations by the structure in which a part of a ski slope is formed by a movable floor and the movable floor is moved by a supporting apparatus
A more detailed object of this invention is to speedily form a ski slope with abundant variations at low lost by operating the supporting apparatus efficiently.
Another object of the present invention is to satisfy preferences of skiers and snow boarders of various levels by changing the skew angle of a ski slope and varying the ski slope in different patterns.
In order to attain the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided skiing facilities having a ski slope floor and supplying artificial snow onto the ski slope floor to form a ski slope, and the skiing facilities comprises a movable ski slope floor provided in a part of the ski slope floor along a width direction; a movable floor driving mechanism, which is provided under the ski slope floor, for driving the movable ski slope floor in up and down directions; a cover member, which is provided under the ski slope floor, for covering a gap generated between the movable ski slope floor and the ski slope floor when the movable slope floor is driven; and a cover member driving mechanism, which is provided under the ski slope floor, for closing a gap generated between the movable ski slope floor and the ski slope floor by driving the cover member.
According to this structure, it is possible to arbitrarily control the skew angle of only the part of the ski slope in the width direction at the indoor skiing facilities. This makes it possible to form various skew angles with respect to the ski slope of the indoor skiing facilities instead of the gentle slope surface, which is commonly used. For this reason, it is possible to satisfy the preferences of skiers and snow boarders of various levels. Moreover, this can provide the ski slope with various patterns that can respond to various kinds of events and attractions.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover member comprises means for preventing accumulated snow from being slidably dropped on the surface.
This structure prevents accumulated snow that covers the cover member from slidably dropped effectively.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the movable floor is composed of a plurality of movable members provided to be adjacent to one another. It is preferable that the plurality of movable members should move independently of one another.
This structure makes it possible to easily obtain the ski slope patterns of numerous variations.
According to another embodiment, the ski slope comprises a plurality of movable floors. At least one of the size of movable member, moving direction, and moving range is preferably made different from one another in connection with the plurality of movable floors. This structure makes it possible to form different ski slope patterns concurrently.
According to another embodiment, one end of the movable floor is supported to be slidable to the fixed floor of the ski slope.
This structure allows the movable floor to be smoothly moved.
According to another embodiment, one end of the cover member is fixed to the rear face of the fixed floor of the ski slope to be slidable thereto.
According to this structure, in the case where a caved portion is formed as one of the ski slope patterns, the cover member stored under the fixed floor is advanced with movement of the movable floor, whereby making it possible to cover the gap between the movable floor and the fixed floor.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a skew angle of a ski slope at skiing facilities, and the method comprises the steps of: moving a movable floor that constructs a part of the floor of the ski slope with a given stroke; advancing a cover member stored under a fixed floor that constructs a part of the floor of the ski slope toward a gap generated between the movable floor and the fixed floor with advancement of the movable floor; and covering the gap using the cover member.
This method makes it possible to easily change the pattern of the ski slope at the skiing facilities.
These objects, other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent by the following description and the accompanying drawings.